The 2019 Women Peace and Security Index has ranked Canada as one of the best countries in the world to be a woman.
Taking the eleventh spot in a list of 167 countries across the globe, our country actually dropped four spots from the previous index undertaken in 2018.
In partnership with the Peace Research Institute of Oslo, this ranking system was created by the Georgetown University's Institute for Women, Peace and Security. The index was put forth to understand how women are treated in different nations with respect to access to jobs, bank accounts, security and representation in government.
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Overall, the index "seeks to promote a more stable, peaceful, and just world by focusing on the important role women play in preventing conflict and building peace, growing economies, and addressing global threats like climate change and violent extremism."
This year, the number one ranked country in the world to be a woman is Norway, followed by Switzerland, Finland, Denmark and Iceland. Sadly, war-torn countries such as Yemen are seeing things worsen for women. Overall, life for women is actually getting better in some 60 countries.
"Among regions, the Middle East and North Africa performs poorly overall, which is traceable largely to high levels of organized violence and discriminatory laws that disempower women, often coupled with low rates of inclusion, especially in paid employment," the report stated.
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One of the biggest contributors to rankings changing is the impact of a national election on a country, which can be positive or negative.
"We have a number of countries which boosted the share of women in their national legislatures. We also had several countries which went the other way," said Jeni Klugman, managing director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security.
After a 2017 election in Iceland reduced the number of women in parliament, the country lost the top spot on the index. Two years ago, the United States ranked higher from the 19th spot to the 22nd. This was due to the 2018 federal election in which a record number of women were elected to congress. However, Klugman says, the country continues to do worse than other nations due to the variable of domestic violence.
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Across the globe, 2.7 billion women, the report says, are unable to work in the same profession as men legally. As well, 90 per cent of countries have at least one law which discriminates against women.
"This first update of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Index provides important insights into patterns and progress on women’s well-being and empowerment around the world," said Klugman. "It reflects a shared vision that countries are more peaceful and prosperous when women are accorded full and equal rights and opportunities."
Here are the top 10 countries in the world to be a woman.
The World’s Best 10 Countries To Be A Woman In 2019
1. Norway
2. Switzerland
3. Finland
4. Denmark
5. Iceland
6. Austria
7. United Kingdom
8. Luxembourg
9. Sweden
10. Netherlands
The World’s Worst 10 Countries To Be A Woman In 2019
1. Yemen
2. Afghanistan
3. Syria
4. Pakistan
5. South Sudan
6. Iraq
7. DR Congo
8. Central African Republic
9. Mali
10. Libya
